Bee Nutrition

Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com Since I sell a large number of nucs each spring, I need to draw thousands of deep combs of foundation every year. But due to our drought in California, this this has become difficult. So I was curious as to whether bees would better draw foundation on heavy or light syrup. Principal […]

Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com I ran a few hundred hives for many years without feeding a drop of sugar syrup, due to my feeling that it was “unnatural.” In later years, as I questioned my idealistic notions, I found that my colonies actually responded quite favorably to supplemental feeding with syrup. And sometimes, giving a building […]

Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com My apologies for skipping a month in this colony microbiota series—too much bee work and too many conferences to attend. But before I return to beebread, I’d like to share the results of a related study of my own. Probiotics As we learn more and more about the symbiotic microbial communities that […]

The Players Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com CONTENTS Why Do Bees Go To Such Effort To Prepare Pollen In This Manner? Which Microorganisms Are Involved? Establishment Of Nest And Gut Microbiota What About Antibiotics? Next Acknowledgements References And Notes In the last two decades, the widespread application of genetic and genomic approaches has revealed a bacterial world […]

“The Story” Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com CONTENTS Introduction The Heyday Of Bee Research Pollen And Beebread The Roots Of A Beguiling Story Doubting Thomases (Skeptical Questioning) Enter Dr. Kirk Anderson Acknowledgements References and Notes People feel compelled to come up with explanations for what they observe; and beekeepers are no different. Historically, beekeepers embraced fanciful myths […]

Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com Introduction Beekeepers often ask me at what time of the season they “should” [1] feed colonies pollen sub. My recent trial of pollen subs demonstrated the clear benefit of feeding patties of either natural pollen or artificial pollen substitutes in time of pollen dearth. However, it also indicated that there was no […]

Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com Part 1: Experimental Design And Execution Introduction The growth and health of honey bee colonies is primarily dependent upon the availability of high-quality pollen. Pollen and its fermented form, beebread, is the colony’s primary source of protein, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and sterols [1]. When there is a dearth of quality pollen, colonies […]

Update December 28, 2013 I am currently running a beekeeper-supported controlled trial of the major pollen supplements on the market, with a positive control of natural pollen, and a negative control of no protein feeding. 162 colonies total in the trial, 18 in each test group. I’ve recently completed the first grading for strength. The […]

I’ve been focusing on the protein dynamics of the colony. But in order to encourage brood rearing, the colony also needs a nectar flow, or its equivalent. This brings us to the subject of the feeding of sugar syrup. Randy Oliver In my previous articles in the Fat Bees series I discussed the importance of […]

Now that we’re gaining an understanding of the role of vitellogenin in honeybee biology, how can we apply that knowledge to keep our bees healthier, to help them be more productive, and to improve the bottom line? by Randy Oliver The life of the honeybee colony is not all humming springtime bliss, with flowers aplenty, […]

What if I told you that there was one amazing molecule in the honeybees’ bodies that allows them to store protein reserves, make royal jelly, promotes the longevity of queen and “winter” bees, is a part of their immune system, allows them to brood up in spring in the absence of pollen, and has an […]

This website is supported through donations from the readers. If you find the information on these pages to be of value to you, please donate!
You can donate via Paypal here:

Supporters

ScientificBeekeeping is a not-for-profit enterprise, and I'm happy to receive notes of thanks for how information on this site has contributed to my readers' success at beekeeping (and sometimes saved them hundreds or thousands of dollars). It is your support that allows me to devote my life to this site. All donations go towards website maintenance, bee research costs (typically tens of thousands of dollars per year), re-donations to fund research by others, and a small amount to partially offset the incredible number of hours that I spend in research and writing. I guarantee that every penny is pinched and well spent!

I appreciate the notes of support that I receive from all over the world. Seeing who is donating, their locations, and the little notes that come with contributions help to let me know how I should direct my research and writing. In appreciation, and in order to show who is supporting my research and writing, I honor below those who have recently made substantial donations:

Recent $500-plus MAJOR SUPPORTERS

Joe Traynor, and the beekeepers contracting through Scientific Ag Company